Desk pedestal construction



Oct. 7, 19.69 K. o. SCHREYER 3,471,

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DESK PEDESTAL CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 5. 1967 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 Oct. 7, 1969 K. o. SCHREYER 3,

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DESK PEDESTAL CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 5. 1967 13 Sheets-Sheet 11 I62"/ J 4 42 Z FIG. 26 iii 2 Oct. 7, 1969 K. o. SCHREYER 3,471,211

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Oct. 7, 1969 K. D SCHREYER DESK PEDESTAL CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 5, 1967 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 United States Patent U.S. Cl. 312-330 40 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application discloses a desk pedestal including a wraparound outer wall mounted on a rectangular front frame formed of two U-shaped channels welded together, the front frame having projections therein to which the pedestal walls are secured by welding, a body of mastic being disposed between the front frame and the pedestal walls; the front frame carries a first set of shelf and drawer glides or rollers and a pair of drawer supports is disposed within the pedestal body and carries a second set of shelf and drawer glides or rollers, the glide and roller structures accurately controlling the side movement of the associated shelf or drawer to provide smooth opening and closing characteristics while maintaining quiet operation; a novel leg and stabilizing bar structure is also provided to mount the pedestal on an underlying support surface.

This application is a division of the co-pending application Ser. No. 503,157, filed Oct. 23, 1965, now Patent No. 3,363,955, for Desk Construction.

This invention relates to furniture constructions, and particularly to desks, and to improvements in desk pedestals and components and the interconnection thereof one with the other.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved pedestal carrying drawers and a shelf therein.

In summary, the pedestal comprises a body including a rear wall and a pair of forwardly projecting side walls integral therewith and defining a front opening therebetween, a front frame completely surrounding the front opening and respectively secured to the side walls, the front frame including two C-s'haped sections that are U- shaped in cross section and have the ends thereof connected, a rear top support positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the rear wall and extending between the side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof and respectively secured thereto, and a bottom reinforcement disposed adjacent to the rear wall near the lower edge thereof and extending between the side walls adjacent to the lower edges thereof and respectively secured thereto.

The pedestal further comprises a plurality of projections which extend outwardly toward the adjacent one of the side walls, and bodies of mastic disposed between the front frame and the side walls, the side walls being welded to the front frame at such projections.

Provided in the body of the pedestal are a pair of supports, a front pair of lubric drawer glides respectively mounted on opposite sides of the front frame, a rear pair of lubric drawer glides respectively mounted on the sup ports, a first drawer including a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding side walls integral therewith, a pair of upper support flanges respectively mounted on the side walls of the drawer for engaging the upper surfaces of the associated ones of the drawer glides, a pair of lower support flanges respectively mounted on the side walls of the drawer for engaging the lower surfaces of the associated ones of the drawer glides, and a retaining flange on one of the support flanges and cooperating with the ad- "ice jacent drawer side wall closely to receive the associated drawer glides therebetween.

Also provided in the pedestal are a front pair of rollers respectively mounted on opposite sides of the front frame, a front lubric drawer guide mounted on one side of the front frame and immediately adjacent to an associated front roller, a rear pair of rollers respectively mounted on the supports, a rear lubric drawer guide mounted on one of the supports and immediately adjacent to an associated roller, a second drawer including a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding side walls integral therewith, a pair of upper support flanges respectively mounted on the side walls of the second drawer for engaging the upper surfaces of the associated ones of the rollers, a pair of lower support flanges respectively mounted on the side walls of the second drawer for engaging the lower surfaces of the associated ones of the rollers, and a retaining flange on the one of the support flanges adjacent to the guides and cooperating with the adjacent drawer side wall to receive the guides therebetween.

Further provided in the pedestal are a front pair of lubric shelf glides respectively mounted on opposite sides of the front frame, a rear pair of lubric shelf glides respectively mounted on the supports, a shelf including a top and a pair of side walls integral therewith and a pair of support flanges respectively mounted on the shelf side walls, each of the shelf glides including upper and lower support surfaces for respective engagement with associated support flanges.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts whereby the above-outlined and additional features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of construction, together with other objects and advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a single pedestal desk incorporating therein a pedestal made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational View of the desk of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the desk illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pedestal forming a part of the desk of FIGS. 1 to 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the pedestal of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the pedestal of FIGS. 5 and 6-;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view with certain portions broken away of the pedestal of FIGS. 5 to 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the front frame forming a part of the pedestal of FIGS. 5 to 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the front frame of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a top elevational view of the front frame of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a further enlarged view in cross section through the frame of FIG. 9 along the line 12-12 thereof;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the assembly of the pedestal side wall to the front frame at the point on the front frame within the circle designated 13 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the pedestal and illustrating the attachment thereof to the desk top, the view being in vertical section along the line 1414 of FIG. 3 with certain portions broken away;

FIG. 15 is a top elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a view of the front end of the pedestal with the shelf and drawers therein in section to illustrate better the mounting of the shelf and drawers Within the pedestal;

FIG. 17 is a view in longitudinal section in the direction of the arrows along the line 17--17 of FIG. 16 and illustrating further details of the mounting of the shelf and the box drawer, the drawer being shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 18 is also a view in longitudinal section taken along the line 1818 of FIG. 16 and illustrating further details of the mounting of the file drawer in the pedestal, the file drawer being illustrated in dashed lines;

FIG. 19 is a further enlarged view in lateral section through the shelf support of FIG. 17 along the line 1919 thereof;

FIG. 20 is a view in horizontal section along the lines 20--20 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a view in vertical section along the lines 2121 of FIG. 19, the shelf being shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 22 is a further enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through the box drawer and further illustrating the mounting thereof upon the pedestal;

FIG. 23 is a view in vertical section along the line 23-23 of FIG. 22 and illustrating the construction of the lubric glide;

FIG. 24 is a plan view of the lubric glide of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a rear view of the lubric glide of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a view in vertical section along the line 2626 of FIG. 22 and illustrating one of the lubric glides;

FIG. 27 is a plan view of the lubric glide of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a rear view of the lubric glide of FIG. 26;

FIG. 29 is a further enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through the file drawer and further illustrating the mounting thereof upon the pedestal;

FIG. 30 is a view in vertical section along the line 30-30 of FIG. 29, the roller having been illustrated in dashed lines;

FIG. 31 is an end elevational view of the lubric glide of FIG. 30 along the lines 3131 thereof;

FIG. 32 is a plan view of the lubric glide of FIGS. 30 and 31;

FIG. 33 is a view in vertical section along the line 3333 of FIG. 29;

FIG. 34 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through the drawer head of the box drawer illustrating the construction thereof;

FIG. 35 is a view diagrammatically illustrating the assembly of the inner front wall with the outer front wall in the drawer head;

FIG. 36 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of the portion of FIG. 34 within the circle designated 36; and

FIG. 37 is a diagrammatic plan view of the front portion of the box drawer illustrating the relationship of the drawer head to the drawer bottom wall.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4 thereof, there is illustrated a piece of furniture made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention, a lefthand single pedestal desk 100 having been shown for purposes of illustration. The desk 100 includes a desk top 101 at one end of which is disposed a pedestal 150 supported by a pair of legs 500 having associated feet 520, the pedestal 150 having mounted therein a shelf 190, a box drawer 210 and a file drawer 270, the shelf 190 being provided with a pull 1901 the box drawer 210 being provided with a pull 210F and the file drawer 270 being provided with a pull 2701. Mounted on the other end of the desk top 101 is an end panel 450 supported by a pair of legs 550 having associated feet 570, the space between the pedestal 150 and the end panel 450 at the rear of the desk top 101 being closed by a back panel 400; as may be best seen in FIG. 3, the back panel 400 is provided with a pair of wiring openings 415 for the reception of telephone wires and the like. There further is mounted on the desk top 101 a center drawer 380 and a depending front wall or skirt 390, a lock 360 being provided in substantially the center of the front edge of the desk top 101 to lock the several drawers 210, 270 and 380.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 15 of the drawings, certain details of construction of the pedestal will be described. Referring first to FIG. 5, the pedestal 150 includes a body 151 comprising a susbtantially rectangular rear wall 152, a pair of substantially rectangular side walls 153 extending forwardly therefrom and disposed substantially perpendicular thereto and parallel to each other, the junctions between the rear wall 152 and the side walls 153 being rounded for the sake of appearance. The upper edge of the rear wall 152 carries a top rear flange 154 and the upper edges of the side walls 153 carry top side flanges 155, the forward edges of the top side flanges 155 being cut out as at 156 for a purpose which will be more fully explained hereinafter. The lower edge of the rear wall 152 carries a bottom rear flange 157 (see FIG. 8) and the lower edges of the side walls 153 carry bottom side flanges 158. The forward edges of the side flanges 158 carry inwardly curved front flanges 159 that extend substantially vertically and terminate in rearwardly directed flanges 159a, there also being provided top flanges 155a 0n the upper edges of the curved flanges 159, see FIG. 15 particularly.

Disposed at the forward portion of the pedestal 150 is a front frame 160, the details of construction of which are best illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 13 of the drawings, and from those views it will be seen that the frame 160 is formed of two substantially C-shaped channels which in turn are essentially U-shaped in cross section (see FIG. 12) each including a main wall 162 and a pair of integral side flanges 163 extending normal thereto and parallel to each other. The free ends of the C-shaped channels 161 are disposed toward each other and a splice channel 164 is placed in bridging relationship between the abutting upper ends of the channels 161 and a bracket 183 is placed in bridging relationship with the abutting lower ends of the channels 161 and are secured thereto by welding to form the substantially rectangular front frame 160 as illustrated in FIG. 9. There further are provided four L-shaped gusset plates 166 disposed respectively at the four corners of the frame 160 and on the inner side of the rearmost side flange 163 and secured thereto as by welding. The front frame 160 is in turn secured to the pedestal side walls 153 by a construction that is best illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 13 of the drawings. Each of the vertically extending sections of the forward flange 163 carries adjacent to the upper and lower ends thereof laterally extending projections 165, the projections being arranged in groups of two. Before attaching the side walls 153 to the frame 160, a layer of mastic 186 is applied to the inner surfaces of the side walls 153 opposite the projections 165, the mastic in the layer 186 preferably being the same as that in the layer 115 used in the desk top 101, layer 186 being thick and /2" wide. After application of the mastic layer 186, the projections 165 are pressed against the mastic layer 186 and into contact with the side walls 153, and thereafter the side walls 153 are welded to the projections 165, the heat from the welding together with the heating to set the paint later applied curing the mastic in the layer 186. The resultant bond between the front frame 160 and the side walls 153 is unusually strong and in addition serves to deaden sound transmission between the frame 160 and the pedestal body 151. A bottom wall 167 is also provided in the pedestal 150, the bottom wall 167 resting upon the upper surface of the bottom rear flange 157 (see FIG. 8) and the upper surface of the bottom side flanges 158 and extends below the bottom of the front frame 160. The lower edge of the forward flange 163 on the frame 160 also carries downwardly extending projections 165 that are joined to the bottom wall 167 in the same manner as the side walls 153 are joined to the sides of the frame 160. The bottom wall 167 further is secured as by welding to the bottom flanges 157 and 158, respectively. The forward end of the bottom wall 167 carries an upturned front flange 168 and carries on the upward end thereof a rearwardly directed edge flange 169 that is disposed in close proximity to the forward surface of the front frame 160.

A rear top support 170 is disposed adjacent to the rear end of the pedestal and includes a body 171 having portions extending under the top rear flange 154 and the top side flanges and suitably secured thereto as by welding. The forward edge of the top support disposed between the inner edges of the top flanges 155 is provided with an upstanding front flange 172 disposed substantially normal to the body 171. Disposed in the ends of the body 171 and in the corners of the pedestal 150 are upwardly extending embossments 173 having centrally therein elongated openings 174 oriented diagonally with respect to the rear corners of the pedestal 150, the openings 174 being adapted to receive fasteners for the mounting of the pedestal 150 on the desk top 101 as will be explained more fully hereinafter. A bottom reinforcement 175 is also provided at the rear of the pedestal 150 in the bottom thereof and includes a main wall 176 extending laterally of the pedestal 150 and a pair of upstanding side walls 177 on the edges thereof, the side walls 177 in turn carrying outturned flanges 178 (see FIG. 8). The bottom reinforcement 175 is secured as by welding to the bottom wall 167 and is also secured at the outer ends thereof to the side walls 153 by means of reinforcement angles 179 that are suitably secured both to the reinforcement 175 and the adjacent side wall 153 by welding.

Also mounted on the side walls 153 but disposed for wardly toward the front frame 160 is a pair of drawer supports 180, see FIGS. 5, 6, 8, 14 and 15. Referring to FIG. 6, it will be seen that each of the drawer supports 180 includes a main wall 181 having on the vertically extending edges thereof side walls 182 that extend outwardly toward the associated side wall 153, each of the side walls 182 having a plurality of welding projections 188 thereon that are secured to the associated side wall 153 in the same manner as the side walls 153 are secured to the projections 165 on the front frame 160. The upper end of the drawer supports 180 are disposed slightly be: low the associated top side flanges 155 and the lower ends thereof are disposed a short distance above the bottom wall 167. The bottom wall 167 is further connected to the front frame 160 by means of the front bracket 183 (see FIGS. 8 and 10), the front bracket 183 including an attachment flange 184 suitably secured to the bottom wall 167 such as by welding and a holding flange 185 that extends upwardly and over the upper surface of the associated channel main wall 162 and is suitably secured thereto as by welding. There further are formed in the top main walls 162 of the front frame 160 openings 187 that receive therethrough fasteners for mounting the pedestal 150 upon the desk top 101, see FIGS. 14 and 15 also. Further details of the connections between the pedestal 150 and the desk top 101 are fully illustrated and described in the above-mentioned co-pending application, Ser. No. 503,157, now Patent No. 3,363,955.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedestal 150 has mounted therein a shelf 190, a box drawer 210 and a file drawer 270. By reference to FIGS. 16, 17 and 19 to 21, the details of construction of the shelf 190 and the mounting thereof in the pedestal 150 will be described. The shelf 190 includes a top 191 having a width slightly less than the width of the interior of the pedestal 150 and a length slightly less than the length of the pedestal 150 (see FIG. 17), the longitudinally extending edges of the top 191 having depending side walls 192 disposed respectively thereon and carrying on the lower edges thereof inwardly directed support flanges 193 terminating in rounded and outturned flanges 194 (see FIG. 19). The rear of the shelf 190 is provided with a back wall 195 and formed on the rear of the side walls 192 are inturned reinforcement flanges 196 disposed against the inner side of the back wall 195 and suitably secured thereto as by welding. The forward end of the top 191 carries a downwardly directed front wall 197 (see FIG. 17) that carries on the lower edge thereof a rearwardly directed L-shaped flange 198. The shelf 190 carries two pairs of bumpers 199, namely, a rear pair of bumpers 199 each having a mounting stud 199a extending through an opening in the rear flange 195 and a front pair of bumpers 199 each having a mounting stud 199a extending through an opening in the L-shaped flange 198.

The shelf 190 is mounted upon two pairs of shelf glides 200 that are substantially identical in construction but are formed as mirror images of each other, the construction of one of the shelf glides 200 being best illustrated in FIGS. 19 to 21 of the drawings. Each shelf glide 200 includes a body 201 that is essentially block shaped and has on the outwardly disposed wall thereof a pair of longitudinally spaced apart positioning studs 202 for assisting in mounting the shelf glide upon the associated support structures; more specifically, the forward ones of the shelf glides 200 are mounted upon the front frame 160, the positioning studs 202 extending through suitably disposed openings in the main wall 162, and the rearward ones of the shelf glides 200 are mounted upon the drawer supports 180, the positioning studs 202 extending through suitably disposed openings in the main walls 181. There further is provided an opening 203 through each of the bodies 201 to receive a bolt 204 extending therethrough and engaging an associated threaded opening in the associated main wall 162 or 181 as the case may be, thereby firmly to mount the associated shelf glide 200 thereon. Each of the glide bodies 201 includes a lower surface 205 on which rests the associated supporting flange 193 of the shelf 190, the support surface 205 extending outwardly to the associated main wall 162 or 181, as the case may be, and extending inwardly and terminating at an upstanding wall 206 integral with the body 201, the upper end of the wall 206 carrying a top flange 206a. The wall 206 includes an outwardly disposed surface 207 and the flange 206a has an upper support surface 208 thereon. When the shelf 190 is in the storage position thereof illustrated in FIG. 17, the major portion thereof is disposed rearwardly or to the right with respect to the support 180 and therefore rearwardly or to the right of the rearmost shelf glides 200, whereby the support flange 193 engages the lower support surface 205 on the rear glides 200 and serves as a fulcrum for pivoting the portion of the shelf 190 in front of or to the left of the support 180 upwardly, whereby the upper surface of the flange 194 engages the upper suuport surfaces 208 of the shelf glides 200 mounted on the front frame 160. Conversely, when the shelf 190 is in the fully withdrawn or extended positioning, the support flanges 193 rest upon the associated lower support surfaces 205 of the glides 200 mounted on the front frame 160 and the flanges 194 abut against the upper support surfaces 208 on the shelf glides 200 mounted upon the supports 180. It further is pointed out that When the shelf 190 is in the full storage position illustrated in FIG. 17, the front bumpers 199 abut against the shelf glides 200 mounted on the front frame 160, and when the shelf 190 is in the fully extended or withdrawn position thereof, the rear bumpers 199 abut against and engage the shelf glides 200 mounted on the supports 180.

It is an important feature of the present invention to form the shelf glides 200 of a lubric material, the preferred lubric material being a synthetic organic plastic resin, the preferred resin being an acetal resin such as that sold under the trademark Delrin. The bumpers 199 may likewise be formed of such material, or may be formed of the usual elastorneric materials. In order to control the side movement of the shelf 190, a pair of buttons 209 is provided on the lefthand side as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2, 16 and 19, the buttons 209 being mounted upon the associated main walls 162 and 181, respectively, and including mounting studs 209a extending into suitable openings in the associated main wall. The buttons 209 are also preferably formed of the same lubric material as the shelf glides 200 and are dimensioned so that the inner surface thereof is disposed away from the surfaces 207 on the associated glides 200 a distance just slightly greater than the lateral distance between the outer surface of the shelf side wall 192 and the innermost point on the rounded outturned flange 194. By this construction, accurate yet easy control of the side motion of the shelf 190 is obtained during movement between the storage position thereof and the fully extended position thereof. The necessity of providing a side rail on the interior of the pedestal has also been eliminated, all while providing smooth and quiet mounting of the shelf 190 during all movement thereof.

The construction and mounting of the box drawer 210 is best illustrated in FIGS. 16, 17 and 22 to 28, inclusive. Referring first to FIGS. 16 and 22, the box drawer 210 includes a bottom wall 211 that is substantially rectangular in shape and has a width slightly less than the interior width of the pedestal 150 and has a length slightly less than the length of the pedestal 150 (see FIG. 17 also). Disposed on the longitudinally extending side edges of the bottom wall 211 are upstanding inner side walls 212, the side walls 212 being disposed substantially parallel to each other and normal to the bottom wall 211 and extending substantially the entire length thereof. Interconnecting the rear ends of the bottom wall 211 and the inner side walls 212 is a rear wall 213, all of the walls named being mutually interconnected. Each of the side walls 212 in addition includes an outer side wall generally designated by the numeral 214, each of the outer side walls 214 including a bottom flange 215, a lower support flange 216, a retaining flange 217, an upper support flange 218 and a connecting wall 219 disposed between the support flanges 216 and 218. It will be understood that a single piece of sheet metal is shaped to provide the various parts named, the bottom flange 215 lying beneath the bottom wall 211 and being secured thereto as by welding and the connecting wall 219 lying against the surface of the associated wall 212 and being secured thereto as by welding. The two support flanges 216 and 218 are disposed parallel to each other and normal to the drawer side wall and extend laterally outwardly with respect thereto; and the retaining flange 217 extends upwardly substantially normal to the support flanges 216 and 218 and is spaced outwardly a predetermined distance with respect to the connecting wall 219, the support flanges 216 and 218 and the retaining flange 217 extending substantially the entire length of the drawer 210. Extending upwardly from the upper support flange 218 is a connecting section 22 (see FIG. 16) on the upper end of which is an integral outstanding reinforcement section 223 and above which is another connecting section 224 carrying an upper outstanding reinforcement section 226 that carries on the inner portion thereof a down-turned flange 227 disposed adjacent to an outwardly offset flange 228 on the upper edge of the associated inner side wall 212. It will be understood that each of the portions and sections named is formed integral from the same piece of sheet metal as that from which are formed the other portions of the outer side wall 214. In the construction, the connecting sections 222 and 224 are disposed against the outer surface of the associated inner side wall 212 and are suitably secured thereto as by welding, whereas the reinforcement sections 223 and 226 are spaced outwardly with respect to the inner side wall 212. In passing it is noted that both sides of the box drawer 210 have the double wall construction described, and in the interest of brevity, the construction of the other side of the drawer 210 will not be described, but like reference numerals are applied to like parts thereof.

The box drawer 210 is supported within the pedestal 150 for movement between a storage position and an extended position on four glides disposed between the support flanges 216 and 218 thereof. A first form of glide 230 is provided on the lefthand side of the drawer 211 as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2, 16 and 22, this form of glide 230 including a generally rectangular body 231 (see FIGS. 23 to 25 particularly). The glide body 231 has formed integral therewith a mounting shank 232 disposed on the one side of the body 231 and having integral therewith a positioning stud 233 extending laterally therefrom and into an associated opening in the main wall 162 or the main wall 181 of the front frame or the drawer support as the case may be. There also is formed in the body 231 an opening 234 that connects with a like opening in the shank 232 to receive therethrough a bolt 235, the threaded shank of the bolt 235 engaging in a complementarily threaded opening in the associated wall 162 or 181, as the case may be, thereby in cooperation with the positioning stud 233 firmly to mount the associated glide 230 upon the pedestal 150. The glide body 231 has an upper support surface 236 which is substantially flat and a lower support surface 237 which is also substantially flat. Provided on the upper and lower outer sides of the body 231 are outside guide walls 238 and provided on the upper and lower inner edges of the body 231 are inner side guide walls 239, the upper and lower guide walls 239 being separated by a recess 239a in the inner surface of the body 231.

A second form of glide 240 is provided on the righthand side of the drawer 210 as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2, 16 and 22, this form of glide 240 including a generally rectangular body 241 (see FIGS. 26 to 28 particularly). The glide body 241 has formed integral therewith a mounting shank 242 disposed on one side of the body 241 and having integral therewith a positioning stud 243 extending laterally therefrom and into an associated opening in the main wall 162 or the main wall 181 of the front frame 160 or the drawer support 180, as the case may be. There also is formed in the body 241 an opening 244 that connects with a like opening in the shank 242 to receive therethrough a bolt 245, the threaded shank of the bolt 245 engaging in a complementarily threaded opening in the associated wall 162 or 181, as the case may be, thereby in cooperation with the positioning stud 243 firmly to mount the associated glide 240 upon the pedestal 150. The glide body 241 has an open support surface 246 which is substantially flat and a lower support surface 247 which is also substantially flat.

Referring to FIG. 17, it will be seen that the box drawer 210 in the storage position illustrated therein has the major portion thereof disposed rearwardly or to the right with respect to the drawer supports 180, whereby the portion of the drawer to the right of the drawer supports 180 is supported in cantilever fashion. As a result, the upper support flanges 218 rest upon and are supported by the upper surfaces 236 and 246, respectively, of the glides 230 and 240 mounted upon the drawer supports 180, but the lower support flanges 216 engage the lower support surfaces 237 and 247, respectively, on the glides 230 and 240 mounted upon the front frame 160. However, when the drawer 210 is moved to the fully extended position thereof, i.e., to the left as viewed in FIG. 17, the major portion thereof is supported in cantilever fashion outside of the pedestal 150, whereby the upper support flanges 218 thereof rest upon the upper surfaces 236 and 246, respectively, of the glides 230 and 240 mounted on the front frame 160, while the lower support flanges 216 thereon rest against the lower support surfaces 237 and 247, respectively, of the glides 230 and 240 mounted on the drawer supports 180. Side movement of the drawer 210 during movement between the storage and extended positions thereof is controlled by the cooperation between the retaining flange 217 and the outside guide wall 238 and between the connecting wall 219 and the inside guide walls 239, it being noted that the entire side guide function is performed by the glides 230, the glides 240 contributing not at all to the side guide function. Preferably both the glides 230 and the glides 240 are formed of a lubric material, the preferred material being a synthetic organic plastic resin, the preferred resin being an acetal resin such as that sold under the trademark Delrin, whereby smooth and quiet operation is obtained when moving the box drawer 210 between the storage and extended positions thereof.

The construction of the drawer head for the box drawer 210 is best illustrated in FIGS. 34 to 37, inclusive, wherein it will be seen that there is provided an outer front wall 250 that is generally rectangular in shape and extends outwardly beyond the side walls 212 and upwardly beyond the upper edges of the side walls 212 and upwardly beyond the upper edges of the side walls 212 and downwardly as at 251 below the bottom wall 211. Disposed on the side edges of the front wall 250 are side flanges [259 (see FIG. 32)] that extend rearwardly and carry on the rear edges thereof inturned flanges 259a. Disposed on the lower edge of the front wall 250 is a rearwardly directed flange 252 underlying and spaced from the undersurface of the bottom wall 211, the rear edge of the flange 252 carrying an upturned flange 253 extending upwardly to the undersurface of the bottom wall 211 and carrying thereon a rearwardly directed attachment flange 254 lying against the nndersurface of the wall 211, means being provided suitably to secure as by welding the outer front wall 250 to the bottom wall 211 and the side walls 212. The upper end of the front Wall 250 carries a U-shaped retaining flange 255 including a rearwardly and slightly downwardly directed portion 256 and a downwardly directed portion 257 disposed substantially parallel to and spaced from the front wall 250. Spaced from the lower end of the front wall 250 and struck from the bottom wall 211 are two upwardly extending projections 258.

Disposed behind the outer front wall 250 and within the drawer 210 is an inner front wall 260 that extends substantially between the side walls 212 and from the bottom wall 211 upwardly to the U-shaped retaining flange 255 on the front wall 250. The inner front wall 260 comprises a pair of reinforcing ribs 261 each including a forward portion 262 and a pair of connecting portions 263. At the upper end of the inner front wall 260 is a forwardly offset flange 264 that lies against the inner surface of the downwardly directed portion 257 and carrying on the upper end thereof a top Z flange 265 extending forwardly to the inner surface of the outer front wall 250 and in turn carrying a front flange 266 lying against the inner surface of the outer front wall 250. In the assembled condition illustrated in FIGS. 34 and 36, the lower end of the inner front wall 260 extends downwardly to the bottom wall 211 and is disposed forwardly with respect to the projections 258 and carries on the lower end thereof a forwardly directed bottom Z flange 267 that extends forwardly to the inner surface of the outer front wall 250 and in turn carries thereon a downwardly extending front flange 268 that lies against the inner surface of the outer front wall 250. Finally, bodies of mastic 269 which may be the same material as the body of mastic 115 in the desk top 101 and the body of mastic 186 in the pedestal 150 are provided between the U-shaped retaining flange 255 and the upper end of the inner front wall 260, between the ribs 261 and the front wall 250 and between the Z flange 267 and the outer front wall 259, further to interconnect the front walls 250260 and to provide a sound deadening effect therebetween.

The assembly of the inner front wall 260 with respect to the outer front wall 250 is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 35. Prior to assembly of the parts, the bodies of mastic 269 are respectively placed upon the upper portion of the inner front wall 260, upon the ribs 261 and the Z flange 267, after which the upper end of the inner front wall 260 is pushed into the U-shaped retaining flange 255 as is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 35. The proportions among the parts is such that the upper end of the inner front wall 260 may be moved upwardly into the U-shaped retaining flange 255 a distance greater than the vertical extent thereof thereinto in the fully assembled position, whereby in combination with the springlike character of the inner front wall 260 imparted thereto by the material of construction, namely, sheet metal, and the provision of the ribs 261, permits the lower end of the inner front wall 260 to pass above the projections 258. Having passed the projections 258 and with the front flange 268 against the inner surface of the outer front wall 250, the entire inner front wall 260 can then be moved downwardly to seat th lower end thereof between the outer front wall 250 and the projections 258 as is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 36. Gravity and the bodies of mastic 269 serve to hold the parts in this position.

Disposed lowermost in the pedestal is the file drawer 270, the details of construction and the mounting thereof being best seen in the FIGS. 16, 18 and 27 to 33 of the drawings. Referring first to FIG. 16, the file drawer 270 includes a bottom wall 271 that is generally rectangular in shape and has a width slightly less than the inner width of the pedestal 150 and a length slightly less than the length of the pedestal 150 (see FIG. 18 also), the longitudinally extending edges of the bottom wall 271 carrying inner side Walls 272 integral therewith and extending upwardly therefrom substantially normal thereto and substantially parallel to each other. Joining the rear edges of the side walls 272 and the bottom wall 271 is a rear wall 273. The side walls of the drawer 270 are of double wall construction and accordingly there is provided on each of the inner side walls 272 an outer side wall 274, the outer side walls 274 being identical in construction, whereby only on will be described in detail, each outer side wall 274 being formed of a single piece of sheet metal bent to provide the severel parts thereof. More particularly, the outer side wall 274 includes a bottom flange 275 (see FIG. 29) that lies beneath the underside of the bottom wall 271 and extends outwardly beyond the adjacent inner side wall 272 and upwardly to provide a lower support flange 276, the material being folded to provide a double thickness at this point; integral with the lower support flange 276 is a retaining flange 277 and also integral with the support flange 276 is a upstanding connecting Wall 279 that connects with an upper support flange 278 also of double thickness construction and being formed integral with a connecting section 282 (see FIG. 16 also); the upper end of the connecting section 282 is integral with an outstanding reinforcement section 283 that in turn is integral with the attachment section 284. As illustrated, the bottom flange 275 lies against the undersurface of the bottom Wall 271 and is suitably secured thereto as by welding, while the connecting wall 27 9, the connection section 282, and the attachment section 284 are all disposed against the outer surfac of the associated inner side wall 272 and are likewise suitably secured thereto as by welding. By contrast, the reinforcement section 283 is spaced outwardly with respect to the adjacent inner side wall 272. The upper edge of each of the inner side walls 272 carries outwardly directed holding flanges 286 which in turn carry on the outer edge thereof an upwardly directed and upstanding flange 287 which in turn carries on the upper edge thereof an inwardly directed top flange 288 carrying on the inner edge thereof a depending retaining flange 289, all as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The file drawer 270 is supported within the pedestal 150 on a pair of lefthand rollers 290 (as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2, 16 and 29), a pair of righthand rollers 290A and a pair of lefthand guides 300. Each of the rollers 290 includes an inner race 291 (see FIG. 18), a mounting shank 292 and a plurality of ball bearings 293 disposed on the inner race 291 and held thereon by an outer race contained in a support member 294, the support member 294 having a support surface 295 around the outer periphery thereof, the support surface 295 being essentially cylindrical in shape and engageable with the support flanges 276 and 278 on the associated drawer. A bolt 296 passes through the roller 290 and through the shank 292 thereof and engages a threaded opening in the associated main wall 162 or 181, respectively, of the associated front frame 160 or drawer support 180, as the cas may be. Associated with each of the lefthand rollers 290 is a guide 300, each of the guides 300 including a substantially rectangular body 301 having formed integral therewith and extending from one edge thereof a positioning stud 302 extending through a suitable opening in the associated main wall 162 or 181, as the case may be. The other end of the body 301 has an opening 303 therein for receiving therethrough the bolt 296 for mounting both the roller 290 and th guide 300 upon the associated main wall 162 or 181, as the case may be. Adjacent to the opening 303 but spaced a short distance therefrom and concentric therewith is a first arcuate recess 305 for receiving the shank 292 of the associated roller 290 therein, and also disposed concentric therewith and spaced farther out therefrom is an arcuate second reces 307 for receiving the support member 294 therein. Disposed above and below the body 301 are upper and lower wings 306 that extend laterally inwardly beyond the, inner surface of the support member 294 and having inwardly facing inside guide walls 311 thereon and outwardly disposed outside guide walls 310 thereon. The distance between the guide walls 310 and 311 is slightly less than the distance between the inner surface of the retaining flange 277 and the adjacent outer surface of the connecting wall 279, whereby the guide 300 provides control of side movement of the file drawer 270 during the movement thereof between the storage position illustrated in FIG. 18 and an extended position wherein the major portion of the drawer 270 is disposed outside of the pedestal 150. Finally, the righthand rollers 290A are provided (see FIGS. 29 and 33) and each includes an inner race 291A, a mounting shank 292A and a plurality of ball bearings 293A disposed upon the inner race 291A and held thereon by an outer race on a support member 294A, the support member 294A having a support surface 295A about the periphery thereof that is substantially cylindrical. A bolt 296A passes through an opening in the inner race 291A and serves to mount the roller 290A upon the associated main wall 162 or 181, as the case may be. In passing it is noted that the width of the support surface 295 and the support surface 295A both are substantially less than the distance between the inner surface of the associated retaining flange 277 and the outer surface of the associated connecting wall 279, whereby control of the side movement of the drawer 270 is controlled only by the action of the guides 300.

Preferably the guides 300 are formed of a lubric material, the preferred lubric material being a synthetic organic resin, preferably an acetal resin such as that sold under the trademark Delrin. Likewise, it further is pointed out that when the file drawe 270 is in the storage position therefor illustrated by the dashed lines in FIG. 18, the major portion of the file drawer 270 is disposed inwardly or to the right of the drawer supports 180, whereby the major portion of the drawer 270 is mounted in cantilever fashion within the pedestal 150. As a consequence, the upper support flanges 278 contact th surfaces of the rollers 290 and 290A mounted on the drawer supports 180, whereas the lower support flanges 276 contact the rollers 290 and 290A that are mounted on the front frame 160. On the other hand when the file drawer 270 is in the fully extended position thereof, the major portion of the file drawer 270 is disposed outwardly or to the left of the front frame 160, whereby the major portion of the drawer 270 is mounted in cantilever fashion outside of the pedestal 150. As a consequence, the upper support flanges 278 contact the surface of the rollers 290 and 290A mounted on the front frame 160, whereas the lower support flanges 276 contact the rollers 290 and 290A that are mounted on the drawer sup ports 180.

Further details of construction of the file drawer 270, and particularly of the construction of the drawer head therefor, and the locking mechanism for the drawers 210 and 270 and other parts of the desk not described in detail hereinabove are fully illustrated and described in the above-mentioned co-pending application, Ser. No. 503,157, now Patent No. 3,363,955, and accordingly reference is made thereto and th disclosure thereof incorporated herein in its entirety.

Fundamentally the desk 100 is formed of sheet metal with the exception of the several parts mentioned during the above description. Furthermore, the sheet metal form ing the various parts is of relatively light gauge, as will be appreciated from the following examples of the gauge of the sheet metal utilized to form various parts of the desk 100. In an illustrative example of the pedestal 150, the body 151 thereof is formed of 20 gauge steel, the channels 161 in the.front frame are formed of 14 gauge steel, the rear top support is formed of 18 gauge steel, the bottom reinforcement is formed of 14 gauge steel and the drawer supports are. formed of 14 gauge steel. In a typical construction of the shelf190, it is formed of 20 gauge steel and in a typical construction of the box drawer 210 and the file drawer 270, the bottom side and rear walls thereof are formed of 24 gauge' steel, the outer front walls thereof are formed of 22 gauge steel, the inner front walls are formed of 26 gauge steel.

From the abov description it will be seen that a new and novel pedestal has been provided including an improved front frame construction including U-shaped channels welded together to form a rectangular frame and having secured thereto the pedestal walls, the front frame having projections thereon to which the pedestal walls are secured by welding to provide a substantially invisible connection therebetween, a body of mastic also being disposed between the front frame and the pedestal walls to impart good sound deadening properties to the completed pedestal. In the pedestal there has been provided improved mountings for shelves and drawers, four glides of lubric material having been provided to mount the top shelf and the box drawer, thereby to eliminate the. use of rails on the pedestal while giving smooth and quiet opening and closing of the shelf and the box drawer; there further has been provided structure for accurately controlling the side movement of the. shelf and drawer. An improved mounting for the file drawer has also been provided, a combination roller and lubric guide providing two point suspension of the associated drawer and serving accurately to control the side movement of the drawer while providing smooth and quiet movement of the drawer condition when heavily loaded.

Finally, there has been provided an improved furniture leg and foot structure, wherein the foot is adjustable with respect to the furniture leg and provides a larger floor contact area and a large adjustment range, all with low construction cost. In one form of the improved furniture leg, structure is provided particularly to accommodate mounting on the bottom of the desk pedestal, two of the furniture legs being provided and connected by a stabilizing bar that serves to distribute the load in the pedestal beween the two furniture legs.

I claim:

1. A pedestal comprising a body including a rear wall and a pair of forwardly projecting side walls integral therewith and defining a front opening therebetween, a front frame positioned at the forward ends of said side walls and disposed therebetween and completely surrounding said front opening and respectively secured to said side walls, said front frame including two C-shaped sections that are U-shaped in cross section and have the ends thereof connected, a rear top support positioned adjacent to the upper edge of said rear wall and extending between said side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof and respectively secured thereto, and a bottom reinforcement disposed adjacent to said rear wall near the lower edge thereof and extending between said side walls adjacent to the lower edges thereof and respectively secured thereto.

2. The pedestal set forth in claim 1, wherein said body and said front frame and said top support and said bottom reinforcement are all formed of metal, and said body is secured to said front frame and to said top support and to said bottom reinforcement by welding.

3. The pedestal set forth in claim 1, wherein the flanges of said two C-shaped sections are directed outwardly around the periphery of said front frame.

4. The pedestal set forth in claim 1, and further comprising a pair of drawer supports disposed within said side walls and arranged in general horizontal alignment and disposed toward but spaced from and parallel to said front frame and respectively secured to said side walls.

5. The pedestal set forth in claim 4, and further comprising aligned sets of drawer glides mounted on said front frame and said drawer supports for supporting a drawer in operative position with said pedestal.

6. A pedestal comprising a body including a rear wall, a pair of forwardly projecting side walls integral therewith defining a front opening therebetween, a front frame positioned at the forward ends of said sidewalls and disposed therebetween and completely surrounding said front opening and respectively secured to said side walls, said front frame including two C-shaped sections that are U-shaped in cross-section and have the ends thereof connected, said front frame having openings in the upper portion thereof for mounting said pedestal upon an overlying support member therefor, a rear top support positioned adjacent to the upper edge of said rear wall and extending between said side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof and respectively secured thereto, and at least two upwardly extending embossments with openings therein on said rear top support for mounting said pedestal upon an overlying support member therefor.

7. The pedestal set forth in claim 6, and further comprising a bottom wall joined to the lower edges of said sidewalls, a splice channel in bridging relationship between the abutting upper ends of said C-shaped sections, and a bracket disposed in bridging relationship with the abutting lower ends of said C-shaped sections and secured to said bottom wall.

8. A pedestal comprising a body including a rear wall and a pair of forwardly projecting side walls integral therewith and defining a front opening therebetween a front frame positioned at the forward ends of said side walls and disposed therebetween and completely surrounding said front opening and respectively secured to said side walls, a pair of drawer supports disposed within said side walls and arranged ingeneral horizontal alignment and disposed toward but spaced from and parallel to said front frame and respectively secured to said side walls, a latch channel mounted on one of said side walls between said front frame and one of said drawer supports and arranged substantially parallel thereto, a rear top support positioned adjacent to the upper edge of said rear wall and extending between said side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof and respectively secured thereto, and a bottom reinforcement disposed adjacent to said rear wall near the lower edge thereto and extending between said side walls adjacent to the lower edges thereof and respectively secured thereto.

9. A pedestal comprising a body including a rear wall and a pair of forwardly projecting side walls integral therewith and defining a front opening therebetween, a front frame positioned at the forward ends of said side walls and disposed therebetween and including a plurality of projections extending outwardly toward the adjacent one of said side walls, bodies of mastic disposed between said front frame and said side walls, said side walls being welded to said front frame at said projections thereon.

10. The pedestal set forth in claim 9, and further comprising a rear top support adjacent to the upper edge of said rear wall and extending between said side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof and respectively secured thereto.

11. The pedestal set forth in claim 10, wherein said front frame has openings in the upper portion thereof for mounting said pedestal upon an overlying support member therefor, and said rear top support has upwardly extending embossments thereon provided with openings therein for mounting said pedestal upon an overlying support member therefor.

12 The pedestal set forth in claim 9, wherein the bottom edges of said body have bottom flanges integral therewith and extending inwardly with respect thereto, and a bottom wall mounted on said bottom flanges and secured thereto.

13. The pedestal set forth in claim 9, and further comprising a bottom reinforcement disposed adjacent to said rear wall near the lower edge thereof and extending between said side walls adjacent to the lower edges thereof and respectively secured thereto.

14. A pedestal and drawer construction comprising a pedestal including a body having a pair of opposing side walls defining a front opening therein, a pair of front drawer supports respectively secured to said side walls adjacent the front opening and arranged in general horizontal alignment, a pair of rear drawer supports respectively secured to said side walls and disposed toward but spaced from and parallel to said front drawer supports, a front pair of lubric guides respectively mounted on said front drawer supports in general horizontal alignment, a rear pair of lubric guides respectively mounted on said rear drawer supports in general horizontal alignment and in general longitudinal alignment with said front pair of lubric guides, a drawer disposed in said body and including a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding drawer side walls integral therewith, said drawer being shiftable longitudinally in said body between a storage position fully disposed within said body and an open position at least partially disposed outwardly with respect to said body, a pair of upper support flanges respectively mounted on and extending laterally outwardly with respect to said drawer side walls for engaging the upper surfaces of the associated ones of said glides, and a pair of lower support flanges respectively mounted on and extending laterally outwardly with respect to said drawer side walls and disposed below the associated one of said upper support flanges for engaging the lower surfaces of the associated ones of said glides.

15. The pedestal and drawer construction set forth in claim 14, and further comprising a retaining flange on one of said support flanges and extending toward the adjacent one of the other of said support flanges and cooperating with the adjacent drawer side wall closely to receive the associated glides therebetween to control the lateral movement of said drawer with respect to said pedestal.

16. A pedestal and drawer construction comprising a pedestal including a body having a front opening therein, a front frame positioned at the forward portion of said body and surrounding said front opening and secured to said body, a pair of drawer supports disposed within said body and spaced apart laterally in general horizontal alignment and disposed toward but spaced from and parallel to said front frame and secured to said body, a front pair of lubric glides respectively mounted on the opposite inner sides of said front frame in general horizontal alignment, a rear pair of lubric glides respectively mounted on said drawer supports in general horizontal alignment and in general longitudinal alignment with said front pair of lubric glides, a drawer disposed in said body and including a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding side walls integral therewith, said drawer being shiftable longitudinally in said body between a storage position fully disposed within said body and an open position at least partially 

